Ophthalmalogic emergencies in the patient with diabetes

This discussion focuses on rapidly progressive eye symptoms and emergent op hthalmologic problems in patients with diabetes mellitus. Blindness is a fe ared complication of diabetes, and may result from a variety of conditions, most commonly diabetic retinopathy. Urgent laser treatments have been show n to protect vision in patients with proliferative diabetic retinopathy and clinically significant macular edema. Other emergent conditions discussed are vitreous hemorrhage, retinal vascular occlusions, ocular motor nerve pa lsies, and severe eye infections.